Shaping, changing, racing. A God, so mortal, so fragile, so fearless. Prey of the wolf, sibling of the Sun. Rescuer of the weak. Lover of the light.
Although the runes were my first introduction into esoterica, soon after I found the lunar goddess, became a wiccan initiate, trainer in tarot, studient qabalah. When the northern Gods called to me I had to ask myself ‘How can I approach this male lunar God? What is he? How can he embody the cyclical, water-working, silver-mirror energy of the Moon that I have come to know and love so much’?
How can HE embody the cyclical, water-working, silver-mirror energy of the Moon?
Manni, brother of Sol (Sun), son of Mundilfari (time-keeper). Charged by Odin to keep the cycle of time for humanity. Pursued by the slavering, every-hungry Hati Hróðvitnisson, a wolf of immense size who, it is sasid, wrestles the white wheel of the Moon into his jaws during an eclipse. Manni needs humanity then, reliant on us to shout to Hati until he drops the lunary orb – raising our voices to protect the man in the moon.
In my own work Manni comes to me as a God who ages from the first flowering of manhood to the silver-backed prime of the chieftain each lunar-cycle. He loves women, understands what it is to physically, emotionally and energetically transform through each month. He loves children too and is known to have resuced two from cruelty – now they tend to the waxing and waning phases aboard his chariot.
Night orb, a lantern, the aurochs horn, the slaying scythe, the promise of rebirth. Some say the Moon is actually the waters of wyrd and that you can see two swans swimming within its patterns. If that is so then Manni is still its keeper. Perhaps Hati seeks to consume the waters of time and fate and so put an end to all our stories. Regardless, Manni will race onwards across our skies until the twilight of the Gods and the end of his cycle.
Night orb, a lantern, the aurochs horn, the slaying scythe, the promise of rebirth.
In the Hearthspace this month we are working with Manni and the theme of compassion. We hope you will join us!
